Apparatus for striping roadways



J ly 20, 194 P. A. BLEAKLEY ETAL APPARATUS FOR STRIPING ROADWAYS FiledJan. 31. 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR f mfiwmyw 5v My;

ATTORNE y 1943- P. AQBLEAKLEY ETAL 2,324,478

' APPARATUS FOR smrme ROADWAYS I Filed Jan. 31, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2ATTORNEY y 1943- P. A. BLEAKLEY Ei'AL 2,324,478

APPARATUS FOR STRIPING ROADWAYS Filed Jan; 31, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4July 20, 1943'. P, A. BLEAKLEY ETAL 2,324,478

APPARATUS FOR STRIPING ROADWAYS Filed. Jan. 31, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented July 20, 1943 UNITED sTATss eATsNT 1 OFFICE Purling A.Bleakley, Toledo, Ohio, and Tennies F. Kolts, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 31, 1940, Serial No. 316.502

4 Claims. (o1; 91--12) Our invention relates to improvements in pai'atusfor striping roadways and is particularly concerned with the provisionof a highly efficient mobile unit which is capable of high speedapplication of the stripes or lines so generally employed at the presenttime in dividing roadways, boulevards, etc, into two or more lanes.

An object of our invention is the provision of efficient means forprojecting metal or alloys thereof in molten comminuted form, onto thesurface of a roadway, for example, in such fashion that the metal oralloy eiiectively adheres to the surface.

Another object of the invention is the provision of novel means forregulably controlling the manner in which the metal or alloy isprojected. To this end We have provided means for controlling thecross-sectional form of the stream of material projected and additionalmeans for regulably controlling the width of the stripe or ribbon thatis appliedto the road or other surface.

A further object is the provision of a mobile apparatus including ametal projecting gun which is of such character that the metal, duringprojection thereof onto the road or other surface, travels through anon-oxidizing atmosphere. Thus the metal, aluminum, or alloys consistinglargely of alumini'ini, will not oxidize and for this reason efiectivelyadheres to the surface. In 7 the absence of provision against oxidation,the

particles of metal would not satisfactorily bond together and any bondor adherence to the surface would be weak and quite irregular andspotty.

A still further object is the provision of novel means for preparing thesurface to be coated. To this end a high speed rotary brush cleans theroad surface in advance of the metal projecting gun, the brush and gunboth being mounted upon a common support.

It is also an object of our invention to provid means for manuallyadjusting the gun, brush and means for controlling the width of theapplied stripes, transversely of a truck or other mobile carrierwherebyto compensate for variations in are described by the carrierinfollowing curves and turning corners in the roadway. For this purposeall of the elements aforesaid are adjustable as a unit.

It is likewise an object of our invention to provide a completely mobileunit in which theprojecting gun, air compressor, gas tanks and allaccessory equipment are conveniently arranged and readily removable andreplaceable when necessary.

Aubther ilnp'oltarit feature of Ql'l l in'vfitidl'l the provision ofmeans for pied'eterminin the width of the applied stripe, mania-ins highspeed rotary disks which define the transverse width of the stream ofmetal substantially at its point of impingement against the roadsurface; 1

Otherobjects will be in part apparentand in part pointed outhereinafter."

In the drawings forming a part of our appli-' cation and throughoutwhich like reference char acters are employed to designate like partsFig. l is a side" elevati'onal' view 'of a motor driven truck embodyingourinvejntion.

Fig. 2 is a top pla n view thereof with a portion: of the roofrerncved'to" expose the road striping mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary s'ide elevatiohalview illustrating in detail,the striping mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a sectional viewonthe' line 4+4 of Fig. 3. n

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on the line 5-'5'0f Fig, 3. V V i Fig. 6 is asectional view on the line s -s. of

Fig. ma sectional viewer; the'liriel1-'l of Fig. 4.

Fig.1 SQis'a fragmentaryelevational view of a surface preparing wheel. 1Fig. 9 is a rear elevational vi of the maths: nism for defining the areatobeflstriped.

Fig. 10 is a sectional elevational view of the mechanism disclosedinFig. taken along the line Illll] of Fig. 3. v Fig. 11 is an elevationalView taken along the line 11 of Fig. 3. Fig. 12 is a perspective View"or a pilot or" indi-j cater rod which is mounted at the-front end of thetruck. Fig. 13 is a wire diagram of a system employed for automaticallyinterrupting the striping operation at regular time intervals.

14' is a verticals'ectional view showing auxiliary disks for directingmetal to the desired surface area. I K

Fig. l5'is a sidejelevationof a modified'arrange ment of agun and marginwheels. p I Fig 16 is a sectional view on line IB IGof Fi .1.); g Fig.1'7 is a sectional view on the line I'l -l1- of Fig. 15. V

In the illustrated" embodiment of ourinvention, it' i-s mounted upon thechassis Cof arn'otor truck M; Briefly the apparatus (Figs. 1 and 2)includes a metal projecting gun- 20, a surface preparing unit-11F, adeflector unit 22 for" gauging ordefining the area to be striped and, ifdesired, a polishing unit 23, said gun and units being so interconnectedthat all may be adjusted simultaneously transversely of the truck andthereby regularly control the zone in which the metal stripe is appliedby the gun 20. The surface preparing unit may assume the form of a motordriven brush 24 (Fig. 6) or may consist of a wheel 25 (Fig. 8) havingsharp projections 25 or teeth which break through the glazed surface ofbrick paving, for example. The gun 20 which embodies the principles andmany details of the apparatus disclosed in Bleakley Patent #2,092,150issued September '7, 1937, projects metal or alloys thereof in moltencomminuted form onto the road surface, the area to which it is appliedbeing determined by the gauging or deflector unit 22. The applied stripemay, if desired, be polished by the polishing unit 23. All of the aboveunits are longitudinally aligned with a pilot or guide rod 26 which ismounted at the inner end of the front bumper B, the lower end of the rodbeing visible to the truck driver through a transparent sheet 21, glassfor example, in a sight opening 28 in the left front fender F. Thispilot rod is maintained in register with a previously formed guide lineand as a result, the gun necessarily is in register therewith except oncurves where it is necessary for an attendant to move the gun and partsconnected thereto transversely of the truck to compensate for the changein position of the truck relative to the guide line.

Mounted upon the chassis C is a group of gas tanks 29, a compressed airtank 30 to which air is delivered by a compressor 3l, and a motorgenerator 32 for electric current. These units are important in theoperation of the gun and associated elements heretofore described aswell as to the mobility of the complete apparatus as is obvious. It hasbeen discovered that relatively cool compressed air is conducive tohigher efficiency in operation of the gun and consequently the air isdelivered to the gun by way of coils 33 which are cooled in anypreferred manner. The coils as shown, are placed in a container 34 for acooling medium. Metal which is comminuted and melted by the gun 20preferably is fed in wire form from a coil 35 which is mounted inproximity to said gun.

The metal projecting gun 20 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 11) consists of a barrel36 mounted upon and depending from, a frame 31 which frame also carriesan electric motor 38 (Fig. 2). This motor actuates wire feeding means 39which are shown in the form of frusto-conical rollers having corrugatedfaces designed for effectively gripping the wire W. At one side of thisframe is a valve box 40 in which four valves 4| provide for regulablecontrol of the delivery of air, oxygen, acetylene gas and a neutral gasto the gun through the pipes shown. The delivery of these fuels andfunction thereof etc., are identical to the disclosure in the abovenoted Bleakley patent to which reference may be made for completedetails. The neutral gas is controlled by a valve and flows through apipe 42 to the gun. This gas produces a blanket at and for a distancebeyond the gun nozzle and prevents oxidation of the projected metal,aluminum, for example by consuming substantially all of theoxygen in theatmosphere through which the metal is projected onto the road surface.This neutral gas is also em-: ployed to flatten the projected stream ofmolten comminuted metal that is projected onto the road surface. To thisend, jets 43 are arranged upon opposite sides of the gun nozzle slightlyoutwardly thereof and are connected through short conduits 44 to theaforementioned neutral gas pipe 42. A valve 45 is placed in this pipe44. Thus it has been discovered, the'two sheets of gas projected underrelatively high pressure, effectively flatten the stream of metal andbring about an improved coating operation including, among otheradvantages, the production of a coating of uniform thickness. This gasignites upon contact with the burning gas that produces the blanketreferred to above.

Returning again to the gun mounting, it will be noted (Figs. 1, 2, 3)that a gun supporting arm 46 is pivoted at its outer end to the frame 31and at its inner end (Figs. 2, 3, and 4) is hinged to and for verticaladjustment about the axis of a horizontal rock shaft 41. The angularrelationship between the gun and said arm v46 is controlled by anadjusting rod 46 and set screw 46*. This shaft 41 is journaled in abearing 48, (Figs. 3 and 4) at the upper end of a frame 49 rising from ashelf 50 which is carried by the chassis C of the truck. Rocking of theshaft 41 for the purpose of changing the angular position of the gun 20is obtained by mechanism including a worm gear 5| on said shaft runningin mesh with a worm 52. A hand wheel 53 is operatively connected to theworm and provides means for manually adjusting the angular position ofthe gun. A housing 54 encloses the worm and worm gear.

Transverse adjustment of the gun relative to the truck is obtained bymanual rotation of a hand wheel 55 which is disposed below the wheel 53for changing the angle of the gun, the former wheel being attached to ahorizontal shaft 56 which is journaled in bearings 51 in the slide frame58. A pinion 59 on the shaft 56 meshes with a rack bar 60 which is fixedto the lower side of the bearing 48 for the gun arm 46. This hearing(Fig. 7) carries rollers 6| which run in ways 62 at the upper end of theframe 49. An arm 63 extending outwardly from the outer end of the baseof the bearing carries an elongated frame 64. This frame 64 extendsforwardly and rearwardly of the gun position and at its forward end,supports the aforementioned surface preparing unit 2! and at the rearend supports the polishing unit 23 should this unit be employed. Thestripe gauging unit 22 is also mounted at the rear end of said frame 64.V

The surface preparing unit 2| (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) comprises arotary brush 24, or in some instances, a guiding wheel 25 (Fig. 8)mounted removably, upon a shaft 65 which is enclosed in a housing withmeshing bevel gears 66 through which power is transmitted to the brushfrom a drive shaft 61. This drive shaft 61 is enclosed in a tubularhousin 68 and is connected to the shaft of an electric motor 69. Thismotor and the tubular housing 68 are rigidly mounted upon a frame 70which is shown to be substantially reverse L-shaped, the base H of whichis journaled in opposed horizontal bearings 12. These bearings form partof a U-shaped frame 13 which is connected through an arm 14 to theaforementioned elongated frame 64, and is directly supported by a slide15. This slide is mounted in slideways 16 on a shelf 11 which projectsoutwardly from one side of the chassis C. A counterbalancing spring 18connects one of the slideways '46 and the motor 69 for obvious reasons.

The polishing unit 23 may Well be of the same construction as thegauging unit H and is so shown. The pclishingwheel 19. is mounted at theV lowerend of the shaft'hou sing so which at its" upper end isconnectedto a hinged-motor frame 8]." The motor is similar to the othermotor 69:, each of these motors and the motor 38 onthe gun having astarter switch S, The motor frame 81 is hinged uponpivot pin=s82 whichform part of a frame 83 rising from a slide 84, the latter riding inslideways 85 on the shelf 50 which pro! jects outwardly from the chassisC as heretofore described in connection with the gun mounting.

An arm 85 which is also carried by the frame 83' is hingedl-y connectedto the gauging unit 22.

This gauging unit as indicated heretofore, de- 7 power is obtained and.transmitted through sprockets 93 on said shaft, and chains 94 andadditional sprockets 95 at the. front. end of the frame 89 to disks 96.These disks '96 are journaled upon shafts 91 (Fig. 3) to which theaforementioned sprockets 95 are attached. Scrapers 98 for removingaccumulated metal from. the disks.

.96 are attached to the frame 89 through arms 99.

A coil spring mu tends toadvance the frame and disks relative to the gunand an. adjustable set screw Ill-l in cooperation with a stop I02formed".

by a part of the chassis C, limits. such forward Together these devicesconstitute a movement. convenient means for adjustingthe relation.between the gun and disks.

In Fig, 12, we have illustrated the pilot rod mounting which consistssimply of a horizontal supporting rod I03 rockably mounted in abracketIE4 on the bumper B. The outer endof this. sup: portingrod has avertical eye Hi5 through which the pilot rod 26 extends. A set screw I06secures the pilot rod at any adjusted point:.and: a; set screw tiltholds the two rods at such-a position that the lower end of the pilotrod may be visible to the truck driver through the sight opening in.

the fender F. A flexible extension I08: is secured.

to th'elower end of thepilot rod to prevent breaking of the rod propershould it strikean, obstacle in the roadway. i In Fig. 13 we have showna wiring diagram of a circuit for controlling the operation of the mo:tor 38 which feeds the wire through, the un. The circuit may include inaddition to the main switch 109, a time relay. H6 which at regular timeintervals, shuts off the motor and thereby interrupts the feedingof wireto the gun. Thus a broken line may be produced on the road surface,ifdesired.

. In Fig. 14 an auxiliary disk I H; is mounted in wardly of the maindisk 96 and has driving connection through the shaft H2 to a sprocketH3. which corresponds to the aforementioned sprocket 95 at the forwardend, of the horizontal frame 89. The sprocket ratio may be suchthat thedisk ill, of which there would be two, would rotate at arelatively highspeed. and reduce any tendency on the part of the molten metal to adherethereto. Cooling of the gauging disks tq'minh. mize the adhesion ofmetal thereto is ,obtainedby spraying Water or other cooling medium fromsuppl pipes I14. which are connected to any'suitable source; A

In View of the outline of the operation earlier in this description,only a brief reference thereto would appear to be necessary. It will beunderstood that in striping straight stretches of roadway, the truckdriver need merely keep the pilot rod in register with a previouslyformed or old line in order to be assured of proper positioning of thegun and associated parts. The gun projects the molten comminuted metalor alloy onto the selected area and as defined by the gauging disks.Prior to the coating operation, the surface to be striped is cleaned andslightly roughened by the brush 24 or wheel, 25. As stated heretofore,the polishing wheel 19 may be employed if circumstances appear towarrant its use. necessary to move the gun and withit the partsconnected thereto, transversely of the truck to compensate for thechange in the relative positions of the preformed line and point oflocation of the gun on the truck. This is controlled manually :by anoperator. Our apparatus has demonstrated its adaptability to theproduction of stripes or lines of uniform width and depth at acomparatively high speed. The coating material firmly bonds with theroad material and further provides a readily visible surface which,

whenform-ed of aluminum or an alloy thereof, is-

highly reflective.

FigsflG-l'l inclusive show a modified form of gun and margin Wheelswhich may be employed and which are found to give results even superiorto the arrangement shown in the preceding figures. In this instance, thegun is supported on the truck in a vertical position and is attachedthereto in any suitable manner so that it may be lowered or raisedrelatively to the-road surface and so that it may also be movedlaterally of the road when the truck is proceeding around a curve.

In this modification the gun shown in the Bleakley Patent No. 2,092,150may be employed but some other gun producing substantially the sameeffect may be used. The gun itself is secured directly to a suitable andsimple mechanism (not shown) for raising or lowering or for moving thegun transversely. A bracket H6 is mounted in a swivel manner upon thegun H5 by means of a pair of collars H1 and 6 it! for supporting justbelow the nozzle I [9 a. pair of margin or masking disks I21 and I22rotatably car ried on arms ['23 and, I24 secured to the bracket HG. Theswivel mounting of the bracket H5 enables the operator to rotate theentire disk assembly about the gun should this be necessary atany time,as for example, when working on asharp curve.

A pair of nozzles I25. and I26 are positioned andconnected to a suitablesupply tank to provide jets of gas which will be ignited when projettedtosurround the conical stream of molten metal with an enveloping blanketofnon-oxidiz ing gas, or products of combustion. Such a gas may. bepropane, butane, propylene or any of the commonly available mixtures ofthem orv such other hydrocarbon gases as; are now sold in bottled form.These burning gases Will not only exclude the atmospheric oxygen fromcontact with the molten metal to save the latter from oxidation, butthey will also aid in maintaining the temperature of the metal until itcontacts the roadway to which it must be bonded while still molten. Itis such gas as is referred to hereinbefore as a neutral gas? and; asexplainedabove theforce of the gas jets tends: to shape the cone Uponreaching and rounding a curve, it is of projected metal and confine itwithin the These hubs are formed on the lower ends of the arms !23 andI24 secured to the supporting bracket IIS. Any suitable means forsupplying water to the water jackets may be employed. We

have shown for that purpose tubes I34 and I35" which may be connected onthe truck.

A spray of molten metal whenprojectedvertically, as herein described andthereafter solidilied on the pavement is found to present minutereflecting surfaces which are equally visible and effective when viewedand lighted from either direction of vehicle traflic. When the moltenmetal is projected in an inclined stream as from the gun positioned asshown in Fig. 3, the 'reflecting surfaces from the hardened metal stripeare found to be more effective when viewed from one direction than theyare from theother direction of vehicle traffic, which may well besatisfactory for some purposes. The vertical mounting of the gun resultsin equalizing the reflective properties of the finished stripe, which wehave discovered to be in general more desirable.

In connection with this modification of the invention it is preferrednot to use the polishing brush after the stripe is laid. In fact we findthat the metal coats the irregularities of the roadway to thus producereflective surfaces which should not be polished.

It is apparent that the water jackets on the disks provide moreeffective cooling than is obtained through the spraying of water jetsupon the outsides of the disks, as illustrated in Fig. 10.

As shown in Fig. 17, these water jackets have a smaller diameter thanthe disks, hence they do not interfere with the contact of the diskswith the road. Because of ample cooling .by water these disks do notneed to be rotated rapidly, consequently, they are rotated merely bytheir contact with the roadway.

We have found that the jets of gas which form the envelopingnon-oxidizing blanket are most effective for distorting a verticallypr-' jected metal spray from its natural conical form into somewhatelliptical form of symmetrical cross section. A stripe of substantiallyuniform thickness may thus be deposited. The width of the spray alongits major elliptical axis is so regulated that some of the metal willstrike the oppositely facing masking disks and slide down them. Due,however, to the water cooling of the disks the molten metal will notadhere thereto. The temperature of the molten metal at the time all ofit reaches the road surface is maintained so high that the metalparticles become bonded to the road surface and to each other whilestill in molten condition. By thus maintaining the temperature of themetal and by preventing any substantial oxidation, the stripe laid downis firmly bonded and free from metal in flake or powder form.

We have found that when the metal is applied as herein described andconsists of aluminum or an alloy largely consisting of aluminum, themetal when it solidifies has brilliant light color in contrast to thedull appearance surface; of the stripe is found to remain unim-' pairedeven where subjected to the severest traffic and weather conditions. i VV Not only is it an object of the invention to deposit onthe roadway astripe having the hereinbefore specified color andreflectivecharacteristics and uniform thickness but it is particularlydesirable that precautions be exercised to prevent the depositing of astripe of excessive thickness even though it may beuniform. We havefound that if the truckon which the apparatus is mounted betemporarilyslowed down below the calculated desired speed, the gun will continue todeposit metal at the 'same speed per unit of time and the stripe willtherefore be built up to anexceptional thickness. While some variationthickness; is permissible, yet, a stripe, that is too thick will notremain bonded to the pavement. The irregularity in expansion between a.thick layer of the metal and the road surface, together with theexceptional pounding which a thick layer might receive will eventual- 1ycause a stripe of excessive thickness. to peel from the pavement. Thegeneral object: of this invention, that is, the laying, down of stripesthat do not require continued or frequent maintenance, would thereby bedefeated.

Accordingly, in connection with the operation of the gun and associatedapparatus as described above, we propose to control the speedof thetruck with a high degreeof uniformity in order that any desiredcalculated speed may be accurately maintained. 7

One method which we employ is to, indicate the engine speed on atachometer and have the operator manually control the speed of the truckto show a constant tachometer reading,

In place of this manual controlwe may also employ any well-known form ofautomaticgovernor control;

For example, if it be desired to deposit a stripe 4% inches wide and @1of an inch thick and the assumedrcapacity of the gun for meltingaluminum be 33 lbs. per, hour, the rate at which the aluminum will bedelivered by the gun will be considered asconstant-due to the practicalimpossibility of varying the output of such guns, it being understoodthat they operate most satisfactorily only at maximum output. the outputof the gun known it is then a matter of calculation to determine theapproximate rate at which the truck should move in order to deposit thealuminumin a layer of the desired thickness. In the present example, thetruck should be propelled uniformly at the speed of about 2400 feet perhour. The exact speed, of course, should be determined with reference tothe actual operating condition of the gun and the condition of the roadsurface on which the layer of metal is being deposited,

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specialdetails herein described, but includes numerous variations andmodifications whichnevertheless are comprehended within the scope of theinvention defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

V 1.' In apparatus for stripping roadways, mobile means for projecting aspray of molten metal With.

in comminuted form onto the area to be striped, means including a pairof horizontally spaced rotary disks mounted in substantially horizontalbearings for intercepting and deflecting the lateral portions of saidspray for defining the margins of said area, and means for positivelydirecting a stream of cooling fluid onto each of said disks,

2. In apparatus of the character described, a

metal projecting gun, a slideable bearing, a rock shaft in the bearing,an arm pivoted at one end to the gun and at its other end secured tosaid shaft, means for adjusting the angular relationship between saidgun and arm, means for adjusting both the gun and arm about the axis ofsaid shaft and. means for moving the gun, arm, bearing and shaft axiallyof the latter.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a metal projecting gun, aslideable bearing, a rock shaft in the bearing, an arm pivoted at oneend to the gun and at its other end secured to said shaft, means foradjusting the angular relationship between said gun and arm, means foradjusting both the gunand arm about the axis of said shaft, and meansfor moving the gun, arm, bearing and shaft axially of the latterincluding means slidingly supporting the bearing, a rack bar on thelower side of the bearing, a pinion meshing with the rack, and manuallyoperable means for rotating the pinion.

4. In a road striping apparatus, a metal projecting gun, a mobilecarrier therefor, an electrio motor driven wire feeder for propellingawire through the gun, a control means for periodically and automaticallyinterrupting operation of the feeder whereby to produce breaks in theapplied stripe.

PURLING A. BLEAKLEY. TENNIES F. KOLTS.

